Sam Laporta Talks Lions Super Bowl Hopes, NFL Draft & Iowa Days

Sam LaPorta is a Pro Bowl tight end for the Detroit Lions and one of the NFL’s fastest-rising stars. Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Sam made history in his rookie season with 86 receptions, 889 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns — becoming the first rookie tight end in NFL history to hit all three marks. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and selected to the 2024 Pro Bowl. Before his NFL breakout, Sam starred at the University of Iowa, earning two First-Team All-Big Ten honors, a John Mackey Award semifinalist nod, and starting multiple seasons as a key piece of Iowa’s elite tight end pipeline. #SamLaPorta #DetroitLions #NFLPodcast #IowaFootball #TightEndU #ProBowl #DanCampbell #NFLDraft #PFWAAllRookie #FootballPodcast #LionsNation #nfl2025 0:00 Introduction 1:06 Being Recruited by Iowa 6:00 First Year Iowa 9:57 The Best Tight Ends to Recruit 11:30 2020 Season at Iowa 14:30 Beating Penn State 16:20 Bowl Game against Kentucky 19:20 Kirk Ferentz is the bead Head Coach in College Football 23:11 NFL Junior Year Hype 25:11 Being Drafted by the Detroit Lions 27:30 Meeting Pope Leo XIV 29:11 Getting to play with Jack Campbell again 33:39 Meeting Jared Goff and Dan Campbell 36:50 What allowed you to have a historical first season with the Lions? 39:00 The Talent of the Detroit Lions 41:39 Thoughts on the Loss against Washington in the Playoffs 43:13 Aidan Hutchinson Injury 47:50 How difficult is it to block in the NFL 50:00 Thoughts on the Coaching Staff Leaving Detroit 53:00 Having one of the best offenses in the league 54:00 Dan Campbell’s Coaching Style 56:06 Missed Calls by Refs 58:40 How Smart of a QB is Jared Goff 01:01:20 Adjusting to the NFL Fame 01:03:20 People Complaining about their Fantasy Football Team 01:05:00 Fines in the NFL 01:07:12 Training for the NFL 01:09:05 First NFL Big Purchase 01:11:28 Best Tight Ends to Emulate 01:12:15 Tight End University 01:19:20 Favorite Away Stadiums to Play at 01:27:20 End Social Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiestec50/?hl=en X: https://x.com/lstec50